It is difficult to know where to begin when introducing The Republic. First written in the 4th century B.C.E. by an Athenian of aristocratic descent named Plato, it has since it has been a seminal reference point for many fields of human endeavor.
Plato is arguably the central figure in the Western philosophical canon; in the words of the 20th-century metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead, "The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." And, given that The Republic is arguably the most important text in Plato's body of work, it is safe to say that it is required reading for those hoping to understand...
